Hurricane Melissa now holds a place in Atlantic basin record books as one of the most powerful tropical cyclones to develop and make landfall .

The storm became a hurricane at 11 a.m. Saturday with peak winds of 75 mph. Just 24 hours later, the storm's strength had nearly doubled with eyewall winds estimated at 140 mph.

Less than a day after that, the storm slammed into Jamaica with eyewall winds estimated to be at 185 mph.

Meteorologists call this massive jump in wind speeds rapid intensification. Three other Atlantic hurricanes experienced this phenomenon this season: Hurricanes Erin, Gabrielle and Humberto.

While many factors can play a role in the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone, two large scale patterns stand out as possible influences this hurricane season.

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